Is there a public domain version of Marseilles?

santasser

I've looked around but nothing is clearly public domain.
 

Zephyros

In my opinion basically all of them, since they're hundreds of years old. Only the changes made to a work can be copyrighted. The trick is finding the originals, or scans made by libraries or museums for the purpose of public research. A photograph or scan of a work that is in public domain can't be copyrighted, but if I'm not mistaken color corrections can be.
 

santasser

In my opinion basically all of them, since they're hundreds of years old. Only the changes made to a work can be copyrighted. The trick is finding the originals, or scans made by libraries or museums for the purpose of public research. A photograph or scan of a work that is in public domain can't be copyrighted, but if I'm not mistaken color corrections can be.

I'm pretty sure not all of them are in public domain. For instance if you have done a redrawing.
 

Zephyros

I'm pretty sure not all of them are in public domain. For instance if you have done a redrawing.

Yes that's what I'm talking about. A deck that is hundreds of years old is obviously in the public domain, but the changes made to it are what is copyrighted. If you were to take something like the Carey-Yale, recolor it, fix it up, create an original card back for it and then sell it the original would still be in the public domain. What you could copyright would be the changes that you made.

Another example, For he's a jolly good fellow is in the public domain while Happy Birthday isn't. This is why TV shows usually use the former. If I were to record the song my version of it in my frog-like singing voice would be copyrighted even though the song itself can't be.